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Updated: Mar 27, 2026
Force System with Vertical V-Bends: A 3D In Vitro Assessment of Elastic and Rigid Rectangular Archwires
Published on: July 24, 2018
Precision of implementing virtual setups for orthodontic treatment using CAD/CAM-fabricated custom archwires
Ralf Müller-Hartwich1, Paul-Georg Jost-Brinkmann1, Katharina Schubert2
1Department of Orthodontics, Dentofacial Orthopedics and Pedodontics, Center for Dental and Craniofacial Sciences, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Aßmannshauser Straße 4-6, 14197, Berlin, Germany.
Objectives:
The SureSmile® process (OraMetrix®; Richardson, TX, USA) utilizes computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). A virtual setup is created for treatment planning and chairside implementation using custom archwires fabricated by robots. The objective of this study was to determine the precision of this implementation.
Methods:
The setup models of 26 consecutive patients were compared to models of the final outcome. Using a virtual matching process, the planned and the achieved tooth positions were superimposed and the differences between them calculated along three translational planes and three rotational axes, thus, yielding six deviation values for each tooth.
Results:
The median deviations were 0.19-0.21 mm based on translational movements and 1.77°-3.04° based on rotational movements. The precision of implementing the setups decreased from anterior to posterior, with incisors showing the best outcomes.
Conclusion:
Virtual setups can be implemented in a clinically successful fashion with custom archwires fabricated by CAD/CAM in accordance with the SureSmile® process.
